Seventy several years in the past, Toyota’s unassuming BJ off-roader went on sale. It was provided to the Countrywide Police Reserve in 1951, but they declined it in favor of the Mitsubishi Jeep—a license-built version of the Willys Jeep that stayed in manufacturing until eventually 1998. It was an inauspicious beginning, definitely, for a car or truck that sooner or later sprouted a dynasty. It didn’t even appear substantially like the FJ-collection 4x4s that would observe, which have been renamed “Land Cruiser” to steer clear of a trademark fracas with Willys-Overland. It was an hideous, angular detail that looked like a turned down knock-off Jeep. But the Land Cruiser persisted, and it succeeded outside of the wildest goals of its creators. On the 70th anniversary of the beginning of this extraordinary journey, Toyota is taking a moment to rejoice with a particular edition of its residing fossil: the 70 Series Land Cruiser.
This is all a very little bittersweet for Land Cruiser lovers in the United States simply because not a single iteration of Toyota’s famous SUV is earmarked for our shores soon after the 2021 product yr. The all-new 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser, the 300 Series, will only be marketed overseas, nevertheless its twin-turbo V-6 is practically certainly likely to show up in the 2022 Toyota Tundra. But for the rest of the environment, specifically in marketplaces where by the astonishingly rugged and prolonged-lived 70 Series types are marketed, it really is induce for celebration.
In that vein, Toyota’s Australian arm unveiled this a little revamped 70 Collection Land Cruiser for regional usage. Likely a step more than the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition we obtained in The united states, the Australian anniversary edition gets a heritage grille with the typical “TOYOTA” badge that seemingly floats earlier mentioned a blacked-out entrance bumper. Also, the product features darker headlamp bezels and dark-toned 16-inch alloy wheels. The fender extensions are also black, giving it a rugged throwback look to an period when truck bumpers were not overall body coloration, or even incredibly properly integrated … you know, the identical period that birthed the 70 Collection by itself, which has been on sale since 1984. The inside functions fancier black upholstery and some woodgrain bits sprinkled all through the cabin.
You can get a trio of variants with the specific incorporate-ons, including the one- and double-cab pickup variations, as very well as the wagon. Three colours are readily available: French Vanilla, Merlot Purple, and the pictured Sandy Taupe. All are run by a 4.5-liter turbodiesel V-8 backed up by a five-pace handbook transmission. The lowest priced is the wagon variant, starting off at $78,500 Australian (approximately $58,000 at modern exchange fees). It goes on sale in September in Australia.
